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New rules for cyclists and PMD users

Caption: The Author at OCBC Cycle in 2015.

The LTA has released their Rules and Code of Conduct for cyclists and users of electric bicycles and Personal Mobility Devices (PMD). I thought all in all, this was a fairly reasonable approach. You can see the document here. Based on the Recommendation Paper by the Active Mobility Advisory Panel.

In summary:
Bicycles: footpaths, cycling paths and roads can.
Electric Bicycles: footpaths cannot, cycling paths and roads can.
PMDs like e-scooters: footpaths and cycling paths can, roads cannot.

Footpath speeds are limited to 15km/h and cycling path speeds are limited to 25km/h.

I am glad they took electric bicycles off the footpaths. Also good, more stringent specs for what constitutes an electric bicycle (must be pedal-assist only, less than 20kg, max 250W electric motor, below 25km/h, must comply with European Standard, EN15194). This removes the electric motorbikes from the equation.

Also interesting are the allowed specs for e-scooters: Below 20kg, below 70cm in width and no faster than 25km/h. This kills off the huge e-scooters that can go at silly speeds like Inokims and Zoom Airs. They have a non-exhaustive list of the non-approved scooters here.

Two abreast cycling is now allowed on roads with at least two lanes in the same direction, except roads with bus lanes during bus lane hours.

Lights are now required for front and back, and switched on during darkness (it used to be just reflectors needed only). This applies to bicycles, e-bikes and PMDs. I support this wholeheartedly.

All this talk about cycling is making me reminisce about cycling in Portland last year in September. I miss Portland. And cycling in Amsterdam and Denmark too.

This was Portland in September 2015:

This was in Copenhagen in May 2015:

Kim Huat Live: The English Dictionary

Kim Huat on Facebook Live: News of the Day, 17 May 2016. Kim Huat discusses the new entries into the Oxford English Dictionary.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/QY08VtzNIOI

Our little island city state

"Papa, where we live now, is it city or countryside?" the kids asked me yesterday.

I replied, "Singapore is a city state, kids. We have no countryside or suburbia. And even if we do, it will eventually become city too. We only have Urban, Almost Urban, and Punggol.

Actually, on hindsight, we do have a countryside. But you only get to enjoy it for 3 months when you serve NS.

(No, that's not were we live, we were just visiting friends. But Photos By Me.)

Going brown

This is true. But once you go brown, you never go back.

Thou Shalt Teach Thy Kids To Be Mobile Phone Bill-savvy

The kids’ mobile bills went slightly over free limit this month. I launched into a lecture on the Unholy Trinity of Mobile Phone Fees that telcos love to charge you for, when you overuse any one of them: Voice, SMS and Data.

These are things they don’t teach in school.

You don’t learn this until you pay for the mobile bill yourself and get bill shock either because you have been making calls from the mobile phone even though you have a perfectly fine landline at home. Or streaming video or music on the road. Or engaging in a massive SMS chat. Or downloading stupid videos on Whatsapp, or worse, sending them to friends.

For example, the kids get 150 free minutes a month, incoming. I asked them to calculate how many minutes they would use a month if they used their mobile phones 10 minutes a day for 30 days.

“300 minutes,” they replied.

“That’s 150 minutes over the free calls you get a month, right?” I said.

The 13-year-old and the 11-year-old looked a bit shocked.

“See? It adds up. Five minutes here, five minutes there, and soon, you will be paying for some telco CEO’s sports car,” I told them.

“Repeat after me, I will use the home landline when I am at home, and not call from my mobile phone.”

The kids repeated after me, “I will use the home landline when I am at home, and not call from my mobile phone.”

“And what do you do if your friend keeps on talking even though you say you’ve got to go?” I declared.

“Hang up on them, Papa.”

“Correct. Because as long as your friend keeps blabbering on over the mobile phone, who pays?”

“We do,” the kids replied.

“Indeed. You will pay. And you will pay dearly, Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock,” I said.

I sent them out to the world with this mission: “Your goal is to ensure I don’t see anything other than $0.00 in the Usage Charges column of my phone bill.”

Teach them early. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside.

And how much moolah they will have to cough up the next time they overshoot the limits.

P.S. Tell the telco to cancel the bloody voice mail service. Every missed call that ends up there is a chargeable call. Who uses Voice Mail these days lah.


This article originally appeared on my Medium blog.

Audio: Minister Midas on the Bukit Batok By-Election

Minister Midas Jin Jue Lui addresses the nation after the Bukit Batok By-Election.

Anchor link: https://anchor.fm/w/a06840

Not a political post

If Murali wins, I am leaving the country.
If Chee wins, I am leaving the country.
This is not a political post.
I just want to travel.

May the Labour be with You

Son: "Why can't we go out today?"

Me: "You have to revise for exams."

Son: "Then what's the use of Labour Day?"

Me: "Work. Because that's what Labour means."

Big screens on planes make me happy

My return SQ flight from Hong Kong was a full flight but for the May movie selection (which was released a few days early), there was Deadpool, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Spotlight. All movies with monsters in them. Awesome.

I really liked these new large touchscreens on my Singapore Airlines B777-300ER.

And a very alert Twitter follower pointed out that they are from Panasonic Avionics.

Panasonic Avionics confirmed it in a Twitter reply, saying that Singapore Airlines has their "eX3 system with 11-inch wide touch-screen monitors on their B777-300ER".

For some reason, knowing that made me happy. I'm such a travel geek. If only I had more time on the flight home to watch more than two movies.

I even saw some guy playing a racing game with the Playstation Vita-like control pad. It looked intense.

Small complaint: The screen Brightness control was hard to find in the on-screen menu. Please fix that.

In other news, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was pretty enjoyable. I may actually reread the original novel because of that zombie movie.

True Romance

Romance, something our marriage thrives on, as demonstrated in this exchange on my iPhone this morning…

(Top photo kindly taken by Tedd Jong Wei, taken at gala of The Huntsman: Winter's War, Universal Studios Singapore)

Telemarketing Shenanigans

True story: Friend received a call from her bank's Relationship Manager saying she needed to update her particulars.

Then the RM proceeded to ask her if she had changed HER. DATE. OF. BIRTH.

And yes, my friend called the bank to ensure it wasn't a scam artist calling. It really was a call from their staff.

Maybe she needs to change her bank.

Other readers added their stories after I shared that on Facebook.

Eunice shared, "This tele-marketer from a formula milk brand actually asked if my baby saw a Paedophile, she actually meant Pediatrician."

Rathika M said, "A bank asked me if there was any change in my race…"

Joanna Cockle said, "That doesn't beat the time the pharmacist asked if my cat had an NRIC number."

Joanna, who was picking up her cat's asthma prescription, said that the pharmacist deadpanned, "Does your cat have an NRIC number."

[Bonus photo above by @jnaina]

Audio: On a bus on Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Listening to the bus announcements on a Lantau Island bus.

Anchor link: https://anchor.fm/w/9fa038

Greetings from Hong Kong!

I'll be here in Hong Kong for a few days. Just attended the IFA Global Press Conference (GPC) in Hong Kong, and the opening of Consumer Electronics China in Shenzhen.

This year, the IFA GPC was held outside of Europe for the first time ever. A few hundred of us journalists and tech bloggers got together in Hong Kong to learn about the state of consumer electronics and home appliances across the world, and to get news about the IFA, the big tech show that is held yearly in September in Berlin.

Part of the reason the IFA folks flew us to Asia was because of the launch of a new sister show in Shenzhen: CE China.

Trust me, moving so many of us from all over the world to Hong Kong for Part 1 of the conference, and then sending us to Shenzhen from Hong Kong by coach for Part 2, is no joke.

I saw a few cool things at the rather small-scale CE China (there were a few big booths by the likes of BSH and Alibaba, but also many small Shenzhen-based OEM booths). I particularly liked the smart bicycle helmet from Livall with built-in Bluetooth speakers and indicator lights. I also enjoyed playing with the Chinese Android phones that looked a lot like iPhones.

I came back to Hong Kong myself via the MTR at Lo Wu border crossing, instead of waiting for the conference coach. It was quite an adventure.

When I reached my hotel near Sai Ying Pun, I spotted this waiter in the restaurant who looked mighty familiar…

Audio: Joy and the chicken rice story

Conversations with my youngest daughter.

Anchor link: https://anchor.fm/w/9F2E3E

Kim Huat Live: News of the Day, 15 April 2016: Do You Know Who I Am?

Kim Huat reads the news live on Facebook on the 15 April 2016 and tells you a sad story about his recent misunderstanding.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/DHw869u5o7Q

Why are people posting less about themselves on Facebook?

Caption: The author on a recent trip to Hokkaido with his mother. This is Shirogane Waterfall, near the Blue Pond.

On the back of Facebook launching Live Video for all users, an interesting statistic has emerged. According to reports, sharing on the site is still strong, but sharing personal stuff, the bedrock of Facebook, has gone down.

So much so that there is a term for it: Context Collapse.

Why are people posting less about themselves? My two cents:

1. Because there are too any CSI mobs out there. You know, the ones that dig up every scrap of info on you if you ever become a person of interest.
2. Because the kids are now in Snapchat (my Snapchat name is mrbrownlah). And kids know where the real action is.
3. Because there are other places to share with closer friends like (locked) Instagram, Path and iCloud Photo Sharing (I have one album that is seen by only six people).
4. Because you don’t know what algorithm Facebook will introduce next to prioritize your content to their whims.
5. Because stuff shared on Facebook have a tendency to resurface under very disturbing circumstances after years of lying dormant.

I’m also not sure if Live Video will make people wanna share personal stuff again. So far, the live video tools on Facebook are primitive compared to what Snapchat does.

Since I mentioned Snapchat, here is a recent video I shared on Snapchat Stories that never made it to Facebook.

Why didn’t I share it on Facebook? I don’t really know. My Snapchat followers had a blast watching it in the 24 hours it was up there though.

Maybe there is something fun about sharing something ephemeral like this (I know, I have just made more permanent sharing it on YouTube). It is shared, and then it is gone. If you came by my Snapchat a day later, you wouldn’t experience that semi-live moment. I don’t know if anyone liked it a lot or hated it, as there isn’t any hardcore commenting tool available, and strangely, that is great too.

And before you get your panties in a twist, yes, it is a vertical video. Hey, it is Snapchat, vertical videos ARE the default view in that space. Get over it.

Facebook wants our content, it wants our undivided attention But as it gets bigger and bigger, with more and more of your friends, family and semi-friends on it, and corporate media companies on the same bed, I am not sure it is the intimate kampong it once was.


This post first appeared on my Medium blog.

the mrbrown show: Kim Huat Live: News Of The Day, 13 April 2016: Art!

Kim Huat reads the news live on Facebook on the 11 April 2016 and discusses the art of wedding photography.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/mKLuot3ir1A

For a closer look at what Kim Huat was critiquing: http://imgur.com/a/z5NtO

the mrbrown show: Kim Huat Live: News Of The Day, 11 April 2016

Kim Huat reads the news live on Facebook on the 11 April 2016 and does Shakespeare.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/cXdzy7B6RmY

the mrbrown show: Kim Huat Live: News Of The Day, 6 April 2016

Kim Huat reads the news live on Facebook on the 6 April 2016 and talks about Panana Leaks and MRT reports.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/lkEWBo9fPJk

My visit to The Visionaire, the EC with Smart Homes

When Qingjian Realty asked me if I wanted to see their Smart Home showflat, I was at first a bit skeptical. It is not easy to pull this off and get the tech infrastructure right. So out of curiosity, I went to the northern part of Singapore to have a look at their showflat.

The Visionaire is an Executive Condominium (EC) project located near the upcoming Canberra MRT station, at Sembawang. It is touted as the first EC with Smart Homes.

Now I love tech as much as the next geek, and I have tried to make my own home “Smart”, so I know how hard it is to implement the Internet of Things on your own. I think if a developer can help you implement the Smart Home stuff from the beginning, using standards like ZigBee and Z-Wave, you will be able to build on that infrastructure easily.

On my tour of their Smart Home showflat, Qingjian showed me how they envision future homes, with their technology partner Samsung Asia. There is Smart Home tech like a digital lockset for your door, Smart IP cameras for monitoring your home inside and outside, Smart air conditioner, Smart motion and temperature sensors, a Smart sound system, Smart washing machine and Smart lighting, all controlled by a Smart Home Control Center app, that is available for both Android and iOS.

Turn on the aircon to get the best temperature just before reaching home, or turn on the lights and music and draw the curtains as a morning wake-up alarm, or turn on your washing machine for it to finish the laundry just before you get back, it can all be done in this Smart home.

I particularly liked the ability to monitor the power usage of the various appliances and devices in the apartment.

The Visionaire EC also offers the hiLife app, already in use by many other properties, for future Visionaire residents to do things like book facilities, get home services, and order from food caterers (like for your upcoming BBQ).

Tech aside, I was very impressed by the layout of the entire property. That 50m pool, wow.

There is ample greenery and generous communal space, an iconic-looking clubhouse with rooms for courses, parties and functions, and BBQ pits peppered throughout the area.

I was struck also by the clever use of space in the apartments. You can combine two spaces into a larger area, a concept Qingjian calls CoSpace.

The fittings and materials used are very high quality, I must say. If you didn’t tell me this was an Executive Condominium, I would have sworn it was some high-end condo. I also liked that the blocks are spaced out nicely, without the over-density that plagues other developments.

Sembawang MRT station is nearby, and when Canberra MRT station is open very soon after The Visionaire is completed, it will be even more convenient. There are also shopping centres nearby, like Sun Plaza, and the upcoming North Point City and Canberra Plaza, and a future sports and community hub.

Do drop by at their future life exhibit and see it for yourself. E-applications start from 8th of April 2016, and details are at www.thevisionaire.com.sg.